Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Sevilla FC All-Time Team

2014 Europa Cup

Please also see myAll-Time World Cup Team Index.This
is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for the club. The number
25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions'
League.

Historically, Sevilla FC has its up and down. They won the league title in 1945-1946, but they were mainly a mid-table team throughout the the 20th Century. Then, the millennium came. From 2005 to 2015, Sevilla won 5 of the 10 UEFA Cups/Europa Cups. They won back-to-back UEFA Cups in 2006 and 2007, and then, three straight Europa Cups in 2014, 2015 and 2016. They own the record of the most successful team in the tournament. Prior to their first UEFA Cup, they have never reached the Final of any European major tournament.

2006 UEFA Cup

TeamGK: Andreas Palop (Spain)Palop played with Valencia and Villarreal before going Sevilla. As a backup keeper, he won the UEFA Cup with Valencia. As a starter, he won it twice with Sevilla. For Spain, he took the field, but was a part of the team that won Euro 2008.

Andreas Palop

GK: José María Busto (Spain)Started his career with Athlete Bilbao, but he spent 16 seasons with Sevilla. He won the league title in 1946. His career with the national team was limited due to Ignacio Eizaguirre, Antonio Ramallets and Carmelo Cedrún playing at the same era.GK: Guillermo Eizaguirre (Spain)Born in Seville and played his entire career with Sevilla FC. He represented Spain 3 times from 1935 to 1936.RB: Dani Alves (Brazil)He spent 6 years with Sevilla, winning two UEFA Cup's before joining Barcelona. He only played 79 times for Brazil at the time of writing, largely because Maicon is the regular starter during this time.CB: Marcelo Campanal (Spain) Known as "Campanal II", he played for sixteen seasons at Sevilla FC , ​​two with Deportivo La Coruna , CD Iliturgi and his final season as a professional in the Real Aviles CF. He earned 11 caps with the national team between 1952 and 1957.

Known as Campanula II

CB: Antonio Álvarez Giráldez(Spain)Started
with Sevilla in 1974, he was one of the club's most committed players.
He ranked 9th in all-time appearance record. He later played with
Malaga and Granada.

CB:Javi Navarro(Spain) Navarro played with Valencia and Elche before joining Sevilla in 2001. He was a part of the side that won 5 major titles, including two UEFA Cups. He was the undisputed starter. He was capped 4 times.

Javi Navarro at UEFA Cup Final

CB: Pablo Blanco (Spain)Blanco played 13 seasons with Sevilla FC. He was considered one of its greatest ever defenders.LB: Manolo Jiménez (Spain) He played his entire career with Sevilla FC. He played over 400 games. He represented Spain at Italia 1990.LB: Antonio Puerta (Spain)Puerta was a highly talented left-sided player for Sevilla. He spent 3 years with Sevilla's first team and was a key player for the UEFA Cup. Sadly, he died in 2007. He earned a single cap for Spain.

Antonio Puerta

CM: Enrique Lora Millan (Spain)Lora played 11 seasons with Sevilla, debuting in 1966. He was at one point the team's captain. He was capped 14 times.

CM: Enrique Montero (Spain)Enrique Montero Rodríguez played more 19 years for Sevilla and Cadiz in Spain from 1973 to 1992. He earned 3 caps CM: Francisco López Alfaro (Spain)Better known as Francisco, he first played with Sevilla FC for 9 seasons and another 6 seasons with Espanyol. He went to Euro 1984 and Mexico 1986 for Spain.

Francisco

CM: Pedro Alconero (Spain)He was an renowned player for Sevilla FC in the late 1940's and early 1950's. He only missed 3 games in 9 seasons with Sevilla. He won one league title. He earned 3 caps.CM: Ivan Rakitic (Croatia)Born in Switzerland of Croatian background, Rakitic started his career with FC Basel. He played with Schalke 04 from 2007 and 2011. Then, he moved to Sevilla in 2011. At Sevilla, he won the Europa Cup in 2014. He moved to Barcelona. For Croatia, he earned 79 caps at the time of writing.LW: Jose Antonio Reyes (Spain)Graduated from Sevilla's academy, he also played for Arsenal, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Benfica. He won two UEFA Cup with Atletioco Madrid. He returned to Sevilla in 2012 and won three straight Europa Cup.

Jose Antonio Reyes

RW: Jesus Navas (Spain)Jesus Navas played 2003 and 2013 for his mother club, Sevilla FC. He won two UEFA Cup. In 2013, he moved to Manchester City. He earned 35 caps for Spain at the time of writing. he was used as a sub during the WC Finals in 2010 and the European Champions in 2012.

Jesus Navas

RM: Rafa Paz (Spain)From 1984 to 1997, he played for Sevilla. He went to Mexico at the end of his career where he played for Club Celaya. He went to Italian 1990 for Spain.AM: Julio Baptista (Brazil)Started with Sao Paulo in Brazil, he moved to Sevilla in 2003. His performance led to a dream move to Real Madrid. He later played for Arsenal, Roma, Malaga and Cruzeiro. At the time of writing, he played for Orlando FC. FW: Juan Arza (Spain)Started with Alvas and Malaga before joining Sevilla in 1943. He spent 16 seasons with Sevilla and became their all-time leading scoring. He won the league in 1946. He was also the league's top scorer in the 1954-53 season. He earned 2 caps.ST: Frederic Kanoute (Mali)He won two UEFA Cups while playing for Sevilla in Spain. He was African Player of the Year in 2007. He was born in France, but represented Mali internationally. He played in France, England, Spain and China professionally.

Frederic Kanoute

ST: Guillermo Campanal I (Spain)Considered one of the greatest player for Sevilla FC. He started his career with Sporting de Gijon in 1929, but joined Sevilla soon after. With Sevilla, he started one a line called "Stuka". He played with the club from 1929 to 1946. It was briefly interrupted by the Spanish Civil War. He represented Spain at the WC in 1934.ST: Luis Fabiano (Brazil)Started his career with Ponte Preta, he was disappointed in his first European adventure with Rennes. He returned to Sao Paulo in Brazil and another disappointing stint with Porto FC. Finally, he joined Sevilla FC in 2005. He established himself as a star and won two UEFA Cups. He later returned to Sao Paulo and is now playing in China. He payed for Brazil 45 times and was a starter at the WC Finals in 2010. ST: Juan Araujo (Spain)Araujo was a club legend with Sevilla. He won the league in 1946 and the cup in 1948. he alsop played with Xerez and Cordoba.

Juan Araujo

ST: Davor Suker (Croatia)He was a part of Yugoslavia's Golden Generation in the 1990's. He later played for Croatia, where he is the all-time leading scorer. He is best remembered for finishing the top scorer at the WC in 1998, where Croatia reached the semifinal.

Davor Suker

Honorable MentionRenato, Grzegorz Krychowiak, David Castedo, Ivica Dragutinovic, Christian Poulsen,Vassilis Tsartas, Ivan Zamorano, Anton Polster, Pintinho, Hector Scotta, Alvaro Negredo, Daniel Bertoni, Bernardo Acosta Miranda, Diego Simeone, Ignacio Achucarro, Julien Escude, Pablo Alfaro, Gallego.Squad Explantion-- I honored Antonio Puerta here. Besides, he is among the best in Sevilla's history. Ivica Dragutinovic probably deserved a place on the team too.-- Rafa Paz was the last player selected. The team lacked players who could play on the side. He also played many years for the club. He deserved it for his contributions.-- Diego Simeone, Grzegorz Krychowiak and Christian Poulsen only played a handful of years at Sevilla. They only made Honorable Mention. Julio Baptista also played two seasons, but he was an attack midfielder. I don't think Víctor Espárrago played enough in Sevilla too.-- I have five strikers on the team. The five strikers were absolute legends in the past and a few current one who contributed to their European trophies. I cannot find space for Vassilis Tsartas, Ivan Zamorano, Anton Polster, Pintinho, Hector Scotta, Alvaro Negredo, Daniel Bertoni and Bernardo Acosta Miranda.-- Gallego and Carlos Marchena played their best football elsewhere. Besides, I also took 4 great centerbacks. Julien Escude and Pablo Alfaro also missed the boat.-- Rinat Dasayev's prime was elsewhere as compared the other keepers selected.FormationThe squad is a mixture of old and new. Jose Antonio Reyes represented an ear of winning three straight Europa Cups.